America...it is time for some wake up calls! I am going to be very blunt in this column. Someone has to start speaking up and stop this insanity that has been going on in this country the last 8 years. And let me make it very clear. President Bush is the worse President in U.S. history that has put this country in such financial peril. Our current National Debt is over $9 Trillion dollars and by the time he leaves office will be will over $10 Trillion dollars. Who is going to pay for this? And actually what has been going started back when President Reagan was President. And Clinton didn't help with the NAFTRA act. You're probably not going to like what I have to say, but it has to be said.

We've had a bunch of clueless idiots who have been steering our country right over a cliff, corporate thieves stealing us blind, the largest transfer of wealth from one class of citizens to another class and most importantly, America's wealth has left the country. I'll tell you more about that later on.

We have a bunch of talking heads in this country on radio programs and television programs that don't know what they are talking about. You know the ones I am talking about. They are feeding Americans political mis-informed agendas.

We have Americans who are more concerned about who wins American Idol, and who'd rather watch reality shows like CBS's Survivor or Big Brother watching people lie and cheat one another for what? Money? America has lost its' value system of what is right and what is wrong. We have rap music with words such, "Gonna kill that bitch." Am I the only one that sees these things?

What has been not only embarrassing but down right incompetent is that we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car that runs on hydrogen so that we do not have to depend on the those that want to grab us by the throat and choke us more and wind up owning us more.

We've had a Vice President who from day one hold secret so called "energy meetings" with the major oil corporations over the years and to date has refused to Congress to disclose the minutes of those meetings and what went on behind closed doors with the big oil corporations.

Our present President wants to start drilling in the Arctic Reserve, which has been proven, will have no effect on our future energy needs because what is there will only last approximately 5 years at current and projected usage needs of the U.S. And John McCain recently said he wants to allocate $2 billion dollars for the building of 45 new nuclear reactors scattered across the country. Where are we going to put all this spent fuel from these 45 nuclear reactors? It last 10,000 years and is lethal if it ever leaks from storage containers. What is so laughable about this is the fact that since 2004 the technology has been there to produce hydrogen fuel cell commercial electrical plants.

Dow Chemical and General Motors filed for a patent for the first industrial fuel cell with the capacity to generate 75 kilowatts of electricity. The fuel cell would last 4 to 6 months. Just one of these one of these industrial fuels cells would power 25,000 homes. The by product would be pure drinkable water that could be used for farming in drought areas. Flowing hydrogen through a fuel cell to generate electricity is more efficient and economically desirable than either of present means to generate electricity. For those that argue that it will cost to produce hydrogen, that has been solved.
Hydrogen can be cheaply produced using algae with bacteria in sitting ponds. The by product of using the hydrogen fuels cells to produce the electricity is "water", that feeds the ponds. The algae keep growing. By efficiently consuming by-product hydrogen in a fuel cell, greenhouse gas emissions are cut to nearly zero and create competitively priced electricity, much lower than today's costs of producing it. So why are we not putting that $2 billion into this type of electrical generating capability instead of nuclear reactor production? Is this another brain fart of this current administration?

Barrack Obama doesn't have a clue of what needs to be done for our energy needs except to say that the average working class American is bitter over gasoline costs. At least he got that one right ! Americans are bitter and have every right to be. Just look at the current cost of gasoline. His statement does nothing to resolve the issue. And this change he talks about. Yes, we need change, but hello America, are you so blind as to see that he has not explained one thing about what change? And McCain and Clinton, don't get me started on them.

Do we have anyone in politics anymore that is a visionary? And most importantly the balls to buck this corrupt big business huge corporate conglomerate system that has taken over our government? Do we have anyone in politics with vision that would established a special "intellecutal-scientific" based think tank on resolving these immediate energy concerns of this country? Could we please have another John Kennedy ? !

We need politicians who are visionaries, who look ahead to the future with science and technology to get mankind out of this self destructive mode it has been in for the last 100 years. We should be putting tax dollars into renewable energy sources and new ones like hydrogen electrical generating plants and solar. Do you know that for an additional approximate cost of about $14,000 that a home can be built with solar and renewable energy technology that
make it self energy reliant and can even produce excess electricity to put out on the electrical grid? And...with tax credits and state rebates from most states, that costs drives it down to approxmiately $5,000.00 Why haven't we given actual cash grants to people to build such houses or better yet, why doesn't the government actually fund this energy expense to make a home totally energy sustained within itself? Just think, if the government would finance installing solar units in just 40% of the homes in America, we could reduce out dependence on foreign oil by as much as 80%. This won't happen because the oil corporations won't let that happen. Duh...does it take a genius to figure that one out? What am I talking about,
we have politcians in Washington that don't even know how to use a computer and that includes Senator McCain and President Bush.

To find out more about installing your own solar panel electrical system for your home, visit, DIRESUSA.ORG This is a website that lists all of the states credits etc. on solar electrical systems you install on your home. New Jersey is one state that gives you 80% of the cost of a solar installed system, and the utility company gives the homeowner the remaining 20% cost in the form of a loan. In many cases, the extra electricity that the system generates makes the payment for the homeowner as well. So, the final cost to the homeowner, practically nothing, while helping America reduce its dependence on foreign oil. New Jersey pays homeowners 75 cents per killowatt of power that the homeowner's system puts back into the electrical grid. There are several solar panel electrical system companies all over the country now that install these systems. The technology has advanced so much in just the last five years. These systems will last for 20-25 years with very little maintenence cost. The new systems are not like the solar heating panels for hot water that people installed in the 1990's. Systems that have been installed and in use already in the country, cost an average of $92.00 a month if a loan is taken out, but give back in most
instances $100.00 to $140.00 in credit from the electrical company. Many people actually receive a check from the electrical company monthly. Bottom line, install a solar panel electrical system to power your home, you will not have an electric bill anymore.

What has completely amazed me is why Americans have not gotten mad as hell. Instead, everyone has simply sat around the last twenty five or so years, nodded their heads when the politicians said, " we need to stay the course". Good Lord, yes, we've stayed the course by literally running this country into financial bankruptcy and making more Americans poorer while the rich get richer. And how Bush got elected the second time, I still do not understand the mentally of America anymore. Have Americans developed brain death, oblivious to the facts? Do they care anymore?

How may Americans know what our national debt is and how much the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have cost thus far and is costing daily? Do you know how much Japan, China, Saudi Arabi own in U.S. Treasury Notes and Bonds? Do you care? This article is going to be blunt with many facts of pressing issues facing this country. Many will not like what I am going to state, but I strongly suggest America....you better... so read on with the facts that I will present one more time America, This is your wake up call and you need to start doing something about it before it too late, and I hope it is not too late.

Are you ready? Let's get to the issues that has caused this major financial crisis and when, how and why sub-prime mortgage lending caused this mess. Two hints - deregulation and GREED !

First, let's talk about China and India.

In August of 2004, I warned about China and India and their demand for oil in my article,Eyes on China - The Price Of Oil. Four years ago, I presented the facts and showed how China was going to be a huge oil importer which would drive up the cost of oil in addition to the collusion of the (8) OPEC Arab countries limiting production by 2008, combined with unscrupulous managers of hedge funds that would drive up the price of oil.
This is what I wrote in 2004, "I believe that China is a sleeping giant and it will have serious implications on the global community in the years to come. In its manufacturing expansion, it has virtually ignored pollution and global warming precautions. In many of its cities, the air has become almost unbreathable many days of the year. I predict that by 2008, due to the demand that China and India will have for oil and because of what I believe will happen with (8) OPEC Arab countries who will limit production, I predict that by 2008, the price of a barrel of oil will be hovering around $130.00 a barrel and gasoline in the U.S. will be between $4.00 and $5.00 a gallon. And by the summer of 2008 or fall it could approach $150.00 to even $200.00 a barrel. Unscrupulous managers of commodity traders dealing with oil futures and managers of hedge funds will also be culprits in diving up the price of oil in 2008. And I also predict that this is where the price of oil and the price of gasoline will stay."

In July 2004, I wrote a 4-part special article concerning America In Crisis and the 2004 election and the issues. Make sure you read this as well. Here again I was warning Americans of what was coming down the road.

So who started all this financial mess we are currently in and how far back does it go?

Let's go back when Reagan was Governor of California and then elected President. This is where all of this mess really started and later with a Republican controlled Senate and House. Everyone thought Reagan was the one of the greatest President we had. He was nothing but a puppet of the corporations. By the way, The Democrats have screwed up just as well. Why? The politicians are bought by the corporations, they are what keep the old farts in office year after year.

As governor of California for two terms (1967-75), President Reagan cut state welfare and medical services and aid to public schools and higher education. He also signed a series of tax increases aimed at ending the state's deficit. Despite tax increases, during his tenure California's budget more than doubled and the number of state employees increased significantly. He left California in a financial mess.

Reagan is elected President. After a recession in 1982, the economy picked up between 1983 to 1986. Spurred largely by the tax cuts and deficit financing... Economic growth, however, remained relatively modest, the rate of inflation did drop below 4% during his tenure...however... the tax cuts and the sharp increase in military expenditures resulted in a series of huge budget deficits and consequently more than doubled the size of the national debt by the time he left office. Again, he left office with America in a huge financial debt like he did California. But who benefited, BIG BUSINESS AND HUGE COPORATIONS with tax laws changed to benefit them and screw the average working American. He also set the stage for millions of jobs to be lost in America with the trade agreements he started.

In late 1986, the last years of Reagan's presidency were disrupted by the Iran-contra affair. It involved the White House's complicity in the illegal diversion of profits from arms-for-hostage deals with Iran to the U.S.-supported contra guerrillas fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

What was the major change in regulations and laws changed and passed that affected Americans then and that we are now seeing the results in the mortgage meltdown crisis?

The Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act, a United States federal financial statute law passed in 1980, gave the Federal Reserve greater control over non-member banks. Its main purpose was to force all banks to abide by the Fed's rules. It also allowed banks to merge. REMEMBER that, it allowed banks to merge and owns banks in other states and open branches in other countries. This was promoted that increased competition would provide more banking services and less costs to consumers. We all know that is a lie today. Its' secondary purpose was to allow credit unions and savings and loans to offer checkable deposits.

The Banking Deregulation Acts of the 1980's gave banking corporations basically a free hand to whatever they wanted with very little regulation and oversight. It allowed banks to buy and sell insurance companies and allow insurance companies to enter into loan markets such as sub-prime loan markets as mortgage loans without hardly any oversight or regulation of those loans. It also gave banks the right to sell all forms of insurance as a new profit making center for the banking conglomerates. And and what cost? You are now seeing the cost in the major mortgage crisis in this country.

Prior to the these Banking Deregulations Acts, mortgage lending was restricted to banks, you did not have sub-prime lenders. There are consumers whose mortgage loan has been resold and resold to different mortgage lenders, i.e. sub-prime lenders. And each time a greater bubble of worthless loans was created because the loans are "discounted" when sold, creating a "false" asset and income to the new mortgage lender. Another words, creating wealth on "paper" without any backing of a real asset. Combine that with the collapse of real estate market values and what do you have? This mess that you now see with the collapse of banks and other lenders who are not having take huge losses on these loans that basically should never have been and re-financed and resold time and time again.

But wait....What occurred ?

In 1982, the US Garn-St Germain Act was passed. The powers of the Savings and Loan Associations (thrifts) were widened and as a result Savings and Loan thrifts begin to diversify their assets.

In 1985 the Savings and Loan Association crisis started. A run on thrifts in Ohio and Maryland led to the insolvency of their state-chartered deposit insurance agencies. This was a result of the huge BANKING conglomerates offering higher interest rates than savings and loans. Before the act, interest rates were regulated by the states and there were no HUGE banking holding corporations that could branch out and they could NOT own banks in other states. States regulated their own banks in state. That all changed when the 1980 act was passed.

In 1986 the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation was declared insolvent.

The Republican controlled House and Senate, ( and many Democrats went along with the passing of the 1980 Bank Dderegulation Act ), which did away with the 1956 Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 that restricted banks from owning banks outside their federally chartered state.

What was the final result of the Bank Act of 1980. Its' provisions increased bank cost, reduced competition, more inefficiency which caused bank failures of smaller banks and left others open to the banking conglomerates, resulting now in approximately seven major banking holding corporations owning approximately 75% of all banking centers in the country because they can now own branches in other states, previously prohibited. The negative impact of deregulation on income inequality holds, it does affect the poor more and the rich much less.

So what happened? Many depositors shifted their accounts to these HUGE banking conglomerates paying higher interest rates and in the 1980's the largest number of bank failures in the history of this country occurred. More than in the
1930 Depression.

What was the final blow to the average American ?

IN 1999 GRAMM-LEACH-BILEY FINANCIAL SERVICES MODERNIZATION ACT WAS PASSED. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, IT ALLOWED BANKS TO UNDERWRITE SECURITIES AS WELL AS INSURANCE. WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY, SECURITIES AND INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE NOW ALLOWED TO ENTER THE BANKING BUSINESS, IN ORDER TO COMPETE WITH BANKS. THERE IS NO MORE SEPARATION BETWEEN THE ENTITIES. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE NOW OF NOT ALLOWING BANKS TO FUND AND SELL INSURANCE AND OTHER FINANCIAL PRODUCTS PREVIOUSLY PROHIBITED?

The most disturbing thing of the bank deregulation acts of the 80's was how banks could post the deposits and checks of customers to accounts. This is one of the top profit money makers for banks - overdraft fees. I am talking about excessive overdraft fees. If you have (3) checks that come in say for $15.00, $25.00 and $100.00. Let's say you made a mistake and forget to deduct a $100.00 check. All three of the checks hit your bank account and only overdraw you $75.00. You think you would only get one overdraft fee because it is the $100.00 check that is overdrawing you right? WRONG ! Consumers would get hit with (3) overdraft fees. Banks are now allowed to post the largest checks first that come into your account. In a scenario like this, the $100.00 check would overdraw you first and then the other two checks would also be in overdraft.

This greedy practice of banks is insidious, unethical and down right wrong in my opinion by any accounting standards. And what makes this worse; some banks even post your deposits last. All allowed now since banks were mostly deregulated in the 80's. You can thank a Republican controlled Senate and House in the 1980's for this. There were also Democrats that voted along with Republicans that did away with regulations that prevented banks from
these types of practices.

So where has all the wealth of America been shifting to? By 1990, Japanese banks were the largest in the world. The US had none in the top 20. Twenty years earlier, in 1970 the 10 largest banks in the world were all American. The 4 biggest banks were all Japanese. Remember in the 80's and 90's, America, nearly all electronics, TV's, etc, were made where, JAPAN!

However, by 1993 Japanese banks began to fail. Kyowa Credit and Anzen Credit Banks were rescued by Japanese Ministry of Finance. This is the first such rescue operation carried out by the Japanese central bank since 1927. In 1994, Trust Bank saved by Mitsubishi Bank. Remember the Nippon and Mitsubishi cars from Japan. Also in 1994, Sumitomo Bank, the world's biggest, makes a loss. This is the first time in 50 years that any of the largest Japanese banks have declared a loss. In 1995, Daiwa Bank's New York branch loses $1.1 billion. These losses are caused by illegal deals by Toshihide Iguchi Corproration - ( result of the 1980 Bank Deregulation Act - which allowed other countries to open branches in the U.S. )

But what was the real cause of the Japanese bank failure system? It was due to the shifting of manufacturing to China beginning in the early 1990's. By 2001, America started to lose millions of jobs to out sourcing to other countries. Jobs that had been in this country for 50 years or more.

Another example is the Airline Deregulation Act in the 1980's.

There were concerns problems would arise from deregulating the airlines. There were. The airline industry has become more concentrated since deregulation. In 1978, eleven carriers handled 87 percent of the traffic, while in 1995 seven carriers handled 93 percent of the traffic. Result was higher prices, not lower prices and poorer service. And the higher prices are not because of the recent oil price hike.

Deregulation was a major trend in the United States in the last quarter of the twentieth century. A number of major deregulation initiatives were passed. Some of these were withdrawn quickly (but not quickly enough to avoid major problems, including the deregulation of savings and loans. I already explained that greedy fiasco. American savings banks, which were permitted to lend unfettered, had their depositors funds insured by the federal government, creating a moral hazard. The California electricity crisis was precipitated by price manipulations by companies such as Enron after energy industry deregulation in 1996, it is noteworthy that Californian electric deregulation did not result in a free market but a rule free system with a fixed objective of generating power at a price determined by the Californian government rather than supply and demand. Other legislation has been considered more widely successful, including deregulation of transport, telecommunications, and the gas market. One of the most controversial decisions occurred in 1996, when the media market was significantly deregulated. Despite such negative outcomes, the World Bank continues to peddle deregulation as a magic elixir for growth and prosperity.

Under Ronald Reagan, financial deregulation intensified. The virtual demise of antitrust enforcement encouraged hostile takeovers and permitted the emergence of financial powerhouses like Citibank. Following their historic 1994 Congressional victory, the Republicans placed on their agenda proposals to scrap restrictions on margin buys, they also repealed a previous Bank Act that protected consumers. The Republican Congress repealed the Glass-Steagall, With Glass-Steagall out of the way; commercial banks like Citigroup were relatively free of regulatory oversight when it came to new business opportunities such as securitization and hedging. If you don't know what hedge funds up, do your research, I don't have to space here to educate you about them.

But it is this type of funding and the opening up of mortgage funding that created the present mortgage crisis. It let third party investors literally financially screw homeowners by the new variable interest rate method that deregulation gave banks on mortgages by being able to jack up interest rates after a certain amount of time had passed.
Combine that with sub-prime lenders that bought and resold mortgage packages, discounting and discounting them, then add falling real estate values which was going to happen because of this.... and boom...you have a major financial crisis that can cause a Depression far greater than the one in1930.

The Banking Act that was repealed protected consumers because before that act was repealed, states set their own usury laws, (interest rates) that banks in their states could charge mortgage holders. When it was repealed, it opened up Pandora's box so to speak in allowing banks to basically do what they wanted with an interest rate on a mortgage and not only on mortgages, added the new varilable rate interest rate and allowed banks to do anything they wanted with credit cards. It also allowed for banking corporations to have branch banks in other states or buy other banks in other states. This is why we see now only about half a dozen major banking corporations who have Americans
by the financial throats. And now we are bailing out these failed greedy banking corporations, insurance companies, and private investment companies to the tune of nearly a TRILLION DOLLARS. Again I ask, who is going to pay for this? YOU... the average American who is struggling to even half fill your car to get to work, or barely pay your mortgage or feed your family. The rich have become richer, oil corporations and other corporations have become wealthier while you have become poorer. Executives of these failing banking concerns, investment houses and insurance companies have walked away with millions of dollars of bonuses and compensation for doing what? Making you pay the bill. Something is very wrong with this picture would you not say? That is why it is time to vote out the old elected politicians in Washington that have been there for so long. Why... because they literally have been bought by these very same corporations to do what is being done to you.... the average American simply struggling just to survive day to day.

Do you know that banks highest profit division regardless of the charge-offs of bad credit card holders is their credit card operation. They have literally put millions of Americans needlessly in debt; issuing credit card after credit card to people that could never repay the debt even after cashing in their equity in their homes. Here again, a deliberate ploy by banks to keep Americans in debt. Americans now owe nearly $3.5 TRILLION dollars to banks on credit cards. Again, the rich have become richer and you have become poorer ! And some credit card banks do unscrupulous things like holding payments to create a late fee and jacking up the interest rate...and what has Congress done since the 1980's - sat on their collective do nothing asses and have let banks get away with literally screwing the consumer.

And they say deregulation is better, sorry, but the facts prove that belief WRONG! Why? Because of man's GREED. When GREED is involved in any enterprise, there will always be corruption and mismanagement to the hilt and that is why regulations must be in place to protect citizens from these greedy types of people. Enron is an example of what I am talking about.

What are the other problems that have contributed to this financial mess we are in today? That the Bush Administration has simply sat by the last eight years and let this reach this point of near financial collapse in the country?

Over 2.4 million jobs have been permanently lost between 2001 and 2003 due to corporations closing plants and building new ones overseas. These jobs will never be replaced because Congress failed to close the loop holes for corporations setting up facilities overseas. It is estimated, by the U.S. Labor Dept., that by 2014, another 8 million jobs will be permanently lost to overseas outsourcing. In 2002, tax reforms in the form of tax credits were pushed through for corporations if they built facilities overseas. This was a Republican President and Congress that allowed this to happen.

Clinton's NAFTRA has cost millions of Americans jobs. Corporations shut down manufacturing plants in this country and went across the border where they pay them an average of $2.00 an hour.
Hello America, did you get screwed with that act and that is what is what. An act that transferred more of your wealth to the rich and that is why you, who once had a $15.00 hour job is now working at
Wal-Mart at $7.50 and lucky if you work 30 hours a week. Wake-up America! What is it going to take to wake you up out of this stupid spell you are in?

I also wrote in 2004: "Presently in 2004, 45 million of Americans and 50% of children ( 11 million ) are without any type of healthcare coverage. A rise in child deaths has resulted, partly due to child preventative health programs for the poor that have been cut. Mortality rates in both men and woman have soared for poor patients not being able to receive proper medical care and treatment. Countless people have died because they could not afford to pay for the latest medical treatments."

Update: June 2008: Over 52 million adult Americans and 15 million children do not have health insurance. 11 million children in America go hungry every night.

Update, June 2008: America has lost over 5.2 million jobs,( U.S. Dept. of Labor - May 2008 ) to outsourcing to other countries. Many of these jobs have been jobs in America for over 75 years. Bethlehem Steel, a 100 year old steel foundry in New York filed for bankruptcy in 2005. Why? Because trade barriers and especially trade tarriffs were lifted that steel could be bought from other countries, even to make our military tanks with. Textile manufacturing jobs that had been in this country for 50 years, lost to China, Indonesia, Philipines, Viet Nam and other such countries. This has resulted in good-paying blue-collar manufacturing jobs disappearing permanently to overseas as well as white-collar jobs earning as much as $18.00 an hour such as in the automobile parts industry. There are now over 34 million workers earning less than $8.70 per hour. They have seriously fallen behind in their standard of living because of short-sighted business cost-cutting, government deregulation and technology changes, but mainly moving jobs overseas where they pay workers anywhere from 45 cents an hour to 1.00 an hour.

I mention trade tarrifs above because that has been the major cause of the loss of jobs in this country. When trade tarrifs were lifted on nearly all products made in other countries, the onslaught of job losses in this country began. We must and I stress this that trade tarriffs must be
applied again to all products entering this country so that our jobs will come back home. So you know what this means in laymans terms. Tarriffs on products made in other countries prevents a less inferior and often dangerous product from being sold in the country, this saving jobs and lives.
Even the lives of our beloved pets. Has everyone forgot all of the defective and lethal products that have come out of China the last 5 years and this week it was finally revealed that over 6,000 children have been lethally poisoned from baby formula. Good Lord, when are Americans going to wake up to see that they have literally been screwed by their elected politicians?

And don't get me started on the great "WAL-MART". What is so great about a corporation that has caused the destruction of hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country employing millions? How and why? Wal-mart demands companies they do business with that they must make the product cheaper so that "WAL-MART" can sell the products cheaper than anyone else - result loss of factories in U.S. Corporations move operations overseas and pay workers $1.00 an hour. Executives of these corporations make huge profits for their corporations and are paid ridiculous annual salaries and bonuses in the millions of dollars.

And America you are not going to like what I am going to say next. America, you have participated in this loss of America's jobs by shopping at Wal-Mart. And please don't give me the excuse it's cheaper at "Wal-Mart." Things may be cheaper, but now that you are earning less or having to work two jobs because you lost your job to an overseas worker being paid $1.00 an hour - are you any better now buy buying cheaper at "Wal-Mart".

Do you have any idea of how much is purchased from China and the dramatic increase over the years? In 2007 America purchased $256 billion more from China that what China purchases from the U.S. Here are the facts back to 1985 when America was only purchasing $600 million more from China than what China was purchasing from the U.S. What does this equate in job losses in America over the years? And who is the largest corporate purchaser in the U.S. from China. The company's imports, 9.3% in 2006 of total imports from China into the U.S., increased from $9.5 billion in 2001 to $26.7 billion in 2006. Wal-Mart will not release figures anymore on China imports. You can count on it that Wal-Mart China imports has increased in 2007 and 2008 because of Wal-mart demanding more and more that companies go overseas to produce their products cheaper, otherwise Wal-mart would not carry their products.

In 2007, The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) issued this report. "The world's biggest retailer, U.S.-based Wal-Mart was responsible for the loss of a minimum 200,000 jobs in the United States between 2001 and 2006 due to the company's massive Chinese imports. The manufacturing sector was hardest hit, with 68% of the total of displaced jobs from Wal-Mart's imports from China. " In addition, food imports are not safe from China. These were 127 food imports from China that the Food and Drug Administration detained at U.S. ports just last month

"The Wal-Mart imports during 2001-2006 increased by 181%. Due to Wal-Mart's huge reliance on Chinese imports many workers have been pushed out of good jobs into lower-paying jobs, and often out of the labor market altogether." For example, lower-paying jobs, Wal-Mart is the biggest culprit. 70% of their work force is forced to work 5 1/2 hr days with only one 15 minutes break and no lunch. The reason why Wal-Mart does this is that these
employees are considered part-time and do not qualify for benefits, especially healthcare. Do you know how many Wal-Mart employees qualify for Medicaid and welfare services because they simply are not making enough to support themselves! Hello America, what is wrong with this picture? Stop buying at Wal-Mart if you can if what you can do!
In addition, Target, K-Mart and other department chains, even Macy's are as bad as Wal-Mart in the imports from China. We have to bring the jobs home to help Americans live properly is what we have to do and why is it these ignorant politicians in Washington cannot see this! I will tell you why. They are in the back pockets of these corporations. Did you know that Hillary Clinton was on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart when her husband was President? Hello?

However, that is back firing on Wal-mart now. Due to the price of oil, shipping these products are now costing more than if these companies had left factories open in the U.S. instead. So folks...expect prices to skyrocket at Wal-Mart? Why? We DO NOT have the manufacturing capacity in the U.S. anymore. The plants have been shut down, many destroyed! What have you done to yourself America? America. You really need to answer yourself on this one. America...you have sat on your behind and let this happen - simply because you wanted to save a buck, never realizing the long term effects down the road pertaining to jobs losses which result in paying more for products in the long term.

I provided the facts as issued by the Labor Department, graphs done in 1998 that even project losses into 2008. And yes, this was during Clinton's Presidency. That is why I stated earlier, some of the Democrats are as bad as some of the Republicans who have sold America off to the highest bidder.

In 2007, The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) issued this report. "The world's biggest retailer, U.S.-based Wal-Mart was responsible for a loss of 200,000 jobs in the United States between 2001 and 2006 due to the company's massive Chinese imports. The manufacturing sector was hardest hit, with 68% of the total of displaced jobs from Wal-Mart's imports from China. "

Take responsibility America ! You are not going to like what I am about to state. American, you have been an active partner in the destruction our viable worker economy by your own actions. If you want to bring the jobs back home, start buying products only made in the U.S.A. - I do. I buy nothing that is not made in the U.S. unless I cannot find that it is made in the U.S. - and yes, certain things are no longer made in the U.S. like car parts, but I try my best to purchase made in the U.S.A. and you should too! It is time to bring the job back home!

The following numbers tell the real story of the Bush administration economic failures:

America has lost nearly 5.8 million jobs since Bush took office - outsourced to different countries.
Health care costs have increased 50 percent since 2001 when Bush took office.

Unemployment has increased 40 percent since Bush took office. Don't pay any attention to the low so called unemployment figures released, it not accounting for the segment of jobs loss that people have given up looking for work.

Bush and Republicans worry about death taxes for people making tens of millions of dollars -- but he has saddled every child born into this country with a $37,000 birth tax.

American families will pay $10,368 each yearly in interest on the debt by 2014. Debt they have borrowed from other countries.

Do you know what our National Debt Is? It is OVER 9 TRILLION dollars.

Here is a graph going back to when Truman was President. You can easily see who got America in this
financial mess she is in. This is directly from the White House website.

How much has the Iraq and Afghanistan war cost America and is costing daily?

DAILY COST OF IRAQ WAR - DAILY: $720 million in 2008, that is $2.62 TRILLION A YEAR

DAILY COST OF AFGHANISTAN WAR: $13 to $17 million 2003 to 2008, that is $6.2 BILLION a year

By 2010, both wars will have cost the U.S. $8.2 TRILLION DOLLARS

And yet we have 45 million adult Americans and 15 million children in this country without health care.

And yet we have 11 million children in this country going to bed hungry every night.

And yet we have over 7 million elderly that have to choose between food or medicine.

By the way, do you know who really funds our Federal Reserve Banking System, who was behind setting it up after the Great Depression? Remember, the Federal Banking System controls
the money supply in this country through the issuance of debt and transfer of wealth basically.

Here are the banking institutions who setup up the Federal Reserve Banking System and who today still provides the funds for it to its "member" banks in the U.S.

Rothschild Banks of London and Berlin
Lazard Brothers Bank of Paris
Israel Moses Sieff Banks of Italy
Warburg Bank of Hamburg, Germany and Amsterdam
Kuhn Loeb Bank of New York
Lehman Brothers Bank of New York
Goldman Sachs Bank of New York
Chase Manhattan Bank of New York (Controlled By the Rockefeller Family Tree)

WHO OWNS AMERICA ?

Do you know? Here are the facts.

Foreign purchases of U.S. securities rose in April as investors ramped up their purchases of U.S. Treasuries and bonds.

Foreign countries acquired $102.8 billion in long-term maturity U.S.securities in April, nearly double the $53.3 billion purchased in March, according to the Treasury International Capital report, which the Department of the Treasury releases each month.

However, the biggest holder of Treasury debt was the U.S. government itself, with about 52 percent of the total $8.5 trillion in paper that's out there. Most of the government’s holdings are massive savings accounts for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Just as you may prefer to keep your Individual Retirement Account in the safe Treasury bonds, the folks who manage the Social Security Trust Fund are looking for a secure investment, too, but how safe are they?

So, that leaves a little over $4 trillion in public hands. The biggest chunk (about 25 percent of the $8.5 trillion total) is held by foreign governments. Japan tops the list (with $644 billion), followed by China ($350 billion), United Kingdom ($239 billion) and oil exporting countries ($100 billion).

What if China decides to not renew, but cash in their U.S. Treasury Notes and Bonds?

The U.S. Dollar would change dramatically should China ever choose to divest itself of a large portion of those reserves. China has created its own BANK OF CHINA in U.S. with reserves of over 1.5 trillion dollars that is buying up U.S. companies.

Secondly, foreign countries have been increasing their holdings of Treasury Bonds which have also been keeping interest rates low. Total as of Jan. 2008 was 2,024 billion dollars. That is over $2 TRILLION dollars folks!

These holdings went from 13% in 1988 to over 50% in 2006 and 59% in 2008.

In 2008 Japan owns 26% and China owns 23%. The U.K., Brazil and the oil exporting countries own about 10% each.

The Bureau of International Settlements suspects that much of the holdings by Belgium, Caribbean Banking Centers and Luxembourg are fronts for various oil-exporting countries or hedge funds that do not wish to be identified. It is these very much unknown entities that are manipulating oil prices, keeping them high by limiting oil production.

The U.S. debt is $9.4 trillion, and is the sum of all outstanding debt owed by the Federal Government.

Furthermore, the debt is increasing at an alarming rate. It has grown by $3 trillion, or 50%, since 2000, when it was $6 trillion. In 2007, it grew by $500 billion, from $8.7 to $9.2 trillion. The budget forecast from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shows total debt rising to $12.3 trillion in 2013. Did you get that; our national debt will rise to $12.3 TRILLION DOLLARS by 2013 !

There is a LOOMING U.S. Treasury Bond Ccash that is most likely going to happen. Make sure you read this important and well researched article written by a financial expert. He has provided extensive graphs from actual U.S. Treasury Department data. www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article3709.html

Has China started to sell off their securities?

Yes...Beijing's retreat from the US bond market and the threat to global inflation, from oil and food prices, began in May of 2007 and accelerated in Nov. 2007. These are signs of a pending change in the low inflation, low interest rate environment.

China was not the only investor to have second thoughts. Total investment in US treasury bonds fell from $2.1937 trillion in March to $2.1655 trillion in April.

By the way, Chairman Mao of the Communist Party of China in speech in 1964 right after the Cultural Revolution in China said, "China will not have to fire a short to conquer the world; we will own them because we will be making everything for them." Mao in 1964 gave instructions for a complete strategy plan of how to make the western world depend on them for their manufacturing. That is what they have been following the last 25 years. Has it worked? What country doesn't owe China? Do I need to say any more?

In May of 2007, China announced it was investing $3 billion of it's U.S. dollar reserves in Blackstone Group LP, manager of the second-largest buyout fund, to boost its returns. What if China were to shoot itself in the foot and dump its entire Treasury portfolio in one fell swoop?

Update June, 2008

The Bush Administration and China agree to launch a ten year investment agreement on energy and environment. It is to deal with commerce in electricity, air, transportation, conservation of forests and wetlands. This is a joke as anyone can see. We are only doing this because China owns so much of the U.S. now.

In August of 2007 they did just that converting them into EUROS for investing - buying U.S. Corporations.

On Nov 7, 2007 the U.S. Dollar slumped to record lows because of China's plans to diversify reserves which they have continued to do. Because of this, it caused the U.S. Treasury Department to increase the interest rates on U.S. 10-year Treasury Notes because of mounting credit-market losses like; China, they had to make up the difference by getting new buyers of U.S. Treasury Notes.

It just so happens we have a real-world example of what it would mean, who bought them. The Bank of Japan bought $244 billion of Treasuries in the last 12 months which ended in August 2004. During that time, U.S.long-term interest rates rose and the dollar fell versus the yen. By April of 2006, the Bank of Japan was a net seller of U.S. Treasuries (on a 12-month basis) to the tune of $26 billion, a swing of $270 billion. U.S.interest rates fell during that period while the dollar rose. ‘The Bank of Japan bought a quarter-trillion dollars of Treasuries and then abruptly stopped and no one noticed.

In the coming months, China will start the global domino affect by dumping close to a trillion dollars in U.S. Treasury notes and Debt bond to provide the capital for the CHINA INVESTMENT BANK they recently opened in New York. Chinese officials have made it clear they want to cash in the trillions of dollars they have been making off of the U.S. in exports to the U.S. over the last ten years. They are starting to purchase U.S. corporations. Do I need to explain anymore of what will occur in this country when this happens?

And has U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Nancy Pelosi lost her mind? She has introduced a bill called the Windfall Tax on Retirement which would tax stock market profits, including Retirement fund, 401K and
Mutual Funds. And to help what...15 Million illegal immigrants and other unemployed minorities! Here again, let's make the poorer, poorer by taxing them to death, especially on retirement accounts.

Last, but certainly not least, it is just I am running out of space for more important issues such as; affordable healthcare for every man, woman and child in this country and to be covered under the same health insurance that U.S. Congressmen have. Do away with the health insurance business entirely in this country. It should all be federally ran which will bring down costs. It has been proven through the Medicare program that it can be run cheaper by the government than what insurance companies are spending to manage health insurance policies in this country.

OTHER ISSUES THAT MUST BE DEALT WITH NOW !

The Illegal Immigrant Problem Must Be Dealt With NOW, Not a Year From Now!

All one has to do is look at what the illegal immigrant issue has cost the State of Minnesota. Minnesota is typical of what many states have experienced the last 15 years of illegal immigrants.

In 2004, Minnesota spent $78.7 million to educate 14,000 children of illegal immigrants in the state. In addition, the state spent $35.5 million on the health care of adult illegal immigrants and an additional $15.5 million on the children of these illegal immigrants. What is truly sickening about this is that there are 45 million adult Americans, legal citizens that have NO health care insurance or access to medical care and over 15 million children are not getting
health care. It doesn't stop there. Minnesota spent $1.6 billion to house illegal immigrants in prison in 2004 that had committed crimes. It has brought Minnesota to the point of bankruptcy. Seven states moved to limit health care to illegal immigrants in 2004. State Legislatures in these states refused to vote through the laws. Only one state, Arizona actually passed a law to prohibit health care to illegal immigrants, but the Governor of Arizona vetoed the law passed by both of the Arizona State Houses. Had enough? But wait, there are more facts.

Here is why and the facts concerning this illegal immigrant nightmare that has been ignored now for over 24 years by three Presidents. One Democrat and Two Republican Presidents.

Overall, the U.S. foreign-born population was 35.7 million based on 2000 Census data and calculations for 2005 project it to increase by 10-12%. Those of Mexican descent again comprised the largest group of foreign born descent - more than 11 million, or 32 percent. 15 years ago, the Hispanic population in America was less than 17%. This does not count the Mexican illegal aliens which are estimated in 2008 at another 10.5 Million, with some saying it could be as high as 14-15 Million. This was the 11 million illegal immigrants that President Clinton gave amnesty to in 1995.

15 years ago, the Hispanic population which included illegal aliens/immigrants in the U.S. was
approximately 11% of the U.S. population. In 2006, it is estimated at 33%, a 22% increase in 15 years. By 2010, it is estimated to be at 37% of the population is things are not changed. Why in the world have the politicians in Washington been stalling on doing anything concerning illegal aliens and illegal immigrants? And the talk about giving amnesty to another 14-15 million illegal immigrants again, has Washington lost their minds. But see, we have a problem. These poor uneducated people are doing the nasty dirty jobs that Americans won't do. They won't pick crops in the fields. But they are also take jobs like construction jobs away from Americans. What is wrong? Our government has been going after the wrong people and prosecuting them and putting them in our prisons causing us to build more prisons. Our government has not been going after the corporations and the executives and owners that hire illegal aliens and put them behind bars. Why? Lobbyists in Washington for these corporations have made sure that doesn't happen.

81% of illegal aliens, or approximately 8.2 Million, are from Mexico and Latin American countries.

And why is the Mexican Flag being waved and flown in America? This is NOT MEXICO ! Our flag is the American flag. If you want to wave the flag of the country that you are illegally here from, pack your bags and take your Mexican flag with you and wave it over there. And one more thing. Why are we printing everything in Spanish and English. Was this country not formed on the English language. Why are we not printing everything in French, Italian, German and other languages as well? Because this is America, you speak ENGLISH and you learn how to read ENGLISH. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of our tax dollars going to print documents in Spanish because these people are too lazy to learn how to speak and read ENGLISH. Go home if you can't learn to read and speak ENGLISH. We speak ENGLISH here. Our elected politicians need to repeal all legislation stating that documents must also be printed in SPANISH. Why in the world did you start this crap in the first place!

These are just some of the many real issues facing this country that America has been sleeping on the way too long. Americans must get off their behinds and start making politicians start making the right changes and if they don't - vote them out of office PRONTO! It is time that you took back your country from the huge corporate conglomerates and get the elected politicians that you pay to serve you - not them! Start asking these politicians the hard specific questions and demand nothing short but a yes or no answer with an explanation as to why. Stop allowing these politicians to side step your answers, walking around the issue by double speak. If they don't answer you, pull them back to it and make them answer it. And if they don't or will not answer the questions needing answers - then vote them out of office and get someone in office that will. We are running out of time in playing these political double speak games.

And what is this religious fervor over the controversy of gay marriage? I have never seen such a fickled society get themselves so worked up over something that has no real impact on anything. Why anyone should care or be concerned about who wants to marry whom is beyond me! This country has more serious issues facing it than this. Regardless of who wants to marry whom, they deserve the same legal protections that a society has created and sanctioned for their definition of "marriage is only between a woman and a man". I have yet been given a "real" justifiable answer as to why people should not be allowed to marry whom they want. All I get is a bunch of religious right wing fanaticism quoting this scripture or that scripture from the Bible and here are the facts about that.

There are many versions and translations of the books of the Bible. I need to make sure that everyone understands one important thing about the BIBLE. All of the translations were made from "copies" of the original Greek/Hebrew manuscripts. THERE ARE NO KNOWN ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE KNOWN TO EXIST. The present day variations of the Bible come from translations of "copies", some of "copies" of "copies" of the original manuscripts but mostly "letters" of the authors of the different books of the Bible, all hundreds of years old. There were no printing presses back then, so copies were done by scribes and they were not paid very much to "copy" them. There are thousands of manuscripts done by these scribes that have footnotes on them writing words that were guessed what they meant. Phrases were changed because the scribes believed the earlier translators either made a mistake, used the wrong word, or simply didn't like the way the previous translator interpreted the scripture. Some of these errors in translations were intentional, some were not. Some theologians believe these errors were done out of confusion due to the lack of knowing what the actual words meant.

There are many contradictions in the bible. In Mark 14:12; 15:25, Mark says that Jesus was crucified the day after the Passover meal was eaten. Yet in John 19:14, John writes that Jesus died the day before it was eaten.

Mankind through the ages with their manipulation of these words has made the Bible GOD for their own selfish purposes. Mankind has come to worship a book, more or less like a Pagan God. Mankind does not truly live the teachings of Jesus, if they truly did, there would be no WAR, and people would not kill on another. And this is not just found in Christianity, it is found in the other faiths of Islam, Hindu and other different religious teachings.

Abraham is the father of ALL religions, including Islam and Hindu. He is mentioned in all of these religions.

Not once in the New Testament does Jesus mention homosexuality, there was no such word. Man took the word sodomy and made it into homosexuality, when in fact sodomy in Greek/Hebrew means prostitute, or sodomite, one who prostitutes, which Jesus did mention.

A message to James C. Dodson of the religious right, founder of Focus on Family in Colorado -- stop accusing Obama of distorting the Bible when it has already been done and you are also doing it. You need to get your facts right about the Bible!

Every war that mankind has fought over since the time of Christ, there has always been either a direct interference of religious orders, or the war fought over the religious teachings of different societies and cultures, using the word of God for their own selfish reasons and justifications. An example was the war between the Anglican Church of England that King James set up when he basically through the Catholic Church and the Pope out of England.

There is only one true law so to speak that Christ gave to us and that is, "Love your fellow man as you would love yourself, treat your brother as you would want to be treated." Now just think about that, if mankind truly lived by only that one spiritual teaching of Christ, would be need any other law? I don't believe so, do you?

Don't believe me, then read my article that gives the historical facts of the translations of errors of the Bible by Man through the ages. It also includes a brilliant article written by a retired Baptist Minister in Australia. What Does The Bible Actually Say About Homosexuality? You will learn that the actual translation regarding this in the Bible have been incorrectly translated from the original Hebrew/Greek "copies" of the original manuscripts,( that do not exist) and the reasons why they were translated like there were.

Concerning the upcoming elections in November.

Are you tired of media reports of fundraising and poll results instead of policy issues?

Here are the voting records of both Barrack Obama and John McCain from the Government Archives, U.S. Library of Congress. Now you have the truth available to you ! Read it, you might learn a few things.
* Voting Record of Barrack Obama on issues.

Have Obama and McCain been truthful about issues? No, both have skipped around issues that have been brought to the forefront. Read their voting record above and their statement positions made on issues.

Remember McCain was involved in the Keating Five fiasco. And recently the mess in writing letters to a government agency for a corporation. McCain, even though he has bucked his Republican colleagues on issues, he is still as wishy washy as the rest of them. Just look at his voting record. People forget these things. And Obama? Just as bad.

Wake up America, get off your behinds, time is running out to act on the real issues facing this country and the world and to start becoming real loving and caring human beings. And the next time you see an 80 year old man who gets run down in the street by a car, don't just stand there with your you know what up your butt or simply just walk past someone in need! Have we become that selfish and uncaring of a nation?

Here is something I bet you don't know. Did you know that President Bush's Grandfather was Hitler's banker? Read the facts in my article I wrote in July 2002. I also warned readers in this column of what Congress just passed; many of your rights have been taken away from you. The government can now intercept your emails, phone calls and more without a regular court order.

America The Free Or Is It Under The Bush Dynasty? - Was Preston S. Bush, Grandfather of President Bush Hitler's banker? Yes, he was and you will read very important information as to why certain sections of the The Homeland Security Department Acts should never had been approved by the Senate !

And what about your health?

Have you wondered America why cancer, heart disease, diabetes, auto-immune diseases have increase so dramatically over the last fifty years? Here's why. Our food supply has become corrupted with hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, chemical preservatives, artificial additives and dyes, deadly chemical sweeteners. Recently in England, the Health Ministry of England has forced Coke and Pepsi and other soft drink manufacturers to stop using sodium benzoate as a preservative in soft drinks? Why? Read this article. Folks, stop drinking or eating anything that has sodium benzoate in it - it can damage your DNA! Again, I wrote about this danger six years ago! Our current FDA is worthless in protecting the health of Americans. They have let food companies over the fifty years just run amok with Frankenstein chemical, additives, dyes and more added to the food supply.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asserted for years that mercury in dental fillings is harmless, but has changed its position following a class-action lawsuit settlement this month regarding the safety of silver fillings. Now why has it taken this long with the FDA over this issue? Politics and BIG MONEY by the American Dental Association.

Finally, a state that cares about its' citizens. It has banned detergents that contain phosphates which are deadly to the human body. The state discovered toxic levels in water supplies around the state, a direct result from these products. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/41374.htm

In May of 2008, a group of concerned scientists analyzed HEPA FILTERS in the Phoenix area. They used HEPA filters as the air collection method, running HEPA air purifiers 8 hours a day. The results were shocking. Aluminum was 6,400 times the EPA toxic limit, Iron was 28,000 times the toxic limit, sodium was 15.9 times the toxic limit and other toxic levels of cooper, magnanesse, etc.. All of these are used in what is known as cloud seeding to make rain by spraying these chemtrails in the sky.

Have you seen these in the sky where you live?

This is what they are, this is being done by our own government. Are you absorbing toxic levels of the above? Arizona has one of the highest rates of Alzeimer's. I wonder, could it be the alumimum toxicity in the air?

WORLD CLOCK TO KEEP YOU UPDATED

Here is a site that has a world clock. It provides continously updated statistics on disease, population, oil and more.
I have never seen anything like it. It is amazing. I applaud this website!
http://www.chippynews.com/worldclock.htm

Okay, if you have not read my columns on hydrogenated oils and aspartame, read them, they will save your life. I am going to ask you this questions. Do you care enough and want to do something that will make a huge difference on your health, the health of your children and grandchildren? Then get involved in the American Health Reform Petition Campaign that I and housewife Greata Ferebee have started.

It is a simple Petition campaign where we ask you to collect only (12) signatures on a one page Petition, ( you can do this easily most likely by getting your fellow employees to sign it ) and mail it to the address show in Washington
and to your Senators and Congressman. Then simply give a blank Petition to each of the (12) you
are getting signatures from and ask them to do the same. Greta and I are striving for a minium of ten million signatures at least to be mailed in. You also come back to the website to record the number of signatures you collected and mailed.

Do you think you can take the time to do this. Come-on, its' time to be a real American and stand up for something that right and larger than yourself! Make a difference! It is time to get these chemicals and other deadly poisons out of our food supply.

Two last things. First, email this article to your friends.
The url is http://www.dldewey.com/wakeup.htm or use the form above to request an email be sent to your friends email addresses of this article.

Second, we need to outlaw the use of any plastic bags in this country. Some European countries
banned them over 20 years ago. England banned them ten years ago. People will simply have to start taking cloth bags with them to the grocery store. Do you know that a plastic trash bag takes 1,000 years to degrade in the trash dump.
Do you realize the amount of land being used to dump these in and the energy it takes to make them? Do you know worldwide who is the largest user and polluter in my opinion, Walmart. Hello Walmart, when are you going to truly become concerned about our environment? Do a self ban yourself and make people bring cloth bags. And hello politicians in Washington, where is your head with this serious problem. I think we all know where it is.

Do you want to die young with a diseased heart?
Develop needless high blood presure?
Develop diabetes type II ?

If not - then you need to watch this new documentary !

THE FILM HAS WON FIVE FILM AWARDS !

Do you care about your health, the health of your children, your family?
Then make sure you read my column:Hydrogenated Oils - Silent Killers
Learn the truth about these deadly oils in our food supplies

Read about Greta Ferebee's and my efforts in a nationwide petition campaign to get these and other toxins out of the food supply. VISIT our website:

In the United States, medical diagnosis and treatment is constrained by law to be the exclusive purview of state licensed practitioners. The diseases discussed on this site are serious, sometimes life threatening matters. Neither the content nor the intent of this column may or should be construed as the giving of medical advice or as recommending any treatment of any kind. The purpose of this column is to support informed discussions, to provide medical research links and and to help the patient identify the doctors who keep up with advances in their field.